Nightly Promises
by Just a Wili
Summary: Light, L, a rough night and a promise.


**Disclaimer – **_Death Note _belongs solely to Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else may share its legal rights. This ficlet was written without permission and my only purpose is to entertain other fans. No profit has been made, or will ever be made, with it.

With my deepest thanks to my betas Snupin and Katie.

Written for the C&K Story Challenge.

**Nightly ****Promises**

There was no strange sound, no brusque movement in the dark little room. Yet Light Yagami was suddenly wide-awake, knowing something was amiss. He jerked upright in the bed, his heart pounding, inexplicably ready for action, and turned on the bedside lamp. The figure perched on the far end of the bed just curled itself into a tighter ball.

"What are you doing, Ryuzaki?" Light sat against the headboard, then withdrew a little, uncomfortable with the hard wood that poked him from behind. He pulled at the metal chain that linked his wrist to the detective's and glanced at his watch. "Fuck, it's almost three in the morning!"

Silence.

"Can't you sleep?" Light insisted, fear quickly giving way to anger. "Don't tell me you have to go to the bathroom again! I've had my fair share of having to look at your, er, nether regions, you know?"

Ryuzaki sighed, blowing his bangs out of his eyes. "Don't you know the scientific terms for the male anatomy, Light-kun?" he whispered mildly. "For someone who's in college…"

Light frowned, clenching his fists and pulling at the chain once more. "I'm old enough to know both the scientific and the vulgar terminology, L, thank you very much. And I'm fed up with these kinky games of yours, so you'd better—"

"I had a nightmare," Ryuzaki interrupted in the same irritating dull tone he used to comment on the weather or the deeds of Kira. "Sorry, Light-kun, I'm cranky. Go back to sleep, I won't wake you up again."

"Nightmare?" Light repeated, incredulous. "Oh, great, someone please insert some lame joke here now! Nightmare? I thought you were the big hot shot, L? You erected this fortress, you have me here against my will—I know my sex appeal is hard to resist, but yet…" Light sighed in mocking disapproval. "Okay, as a future member of the Tokyo Police Force, I want you to come to terms—"

"I was in a field," Ryuzaki murmured, looking at the ceiling. He reached up with his free hand and pinched his nose. "Damn, my head is throbbing."

"I bet it is," Light teased in an oily purr, feeling an unkind satisfaction at L's pain. He could see sweat beading on the pale skin. "Don't cock your head like that and maybe your body won't look like it's about to be flipped upside down at any given moment."

"A red rose field," Ryuzaki continued, unfazed by Light's desire to provoke him. "Some of the roses had already blossomed, but most…most were only rose buds, you know?"

"Yeah, out of Nature's tender virgin breast." Light looked at his watch again. "What is this? Your personal rendering of _Citizen Kane_?"

"So I was walking among those overgrown rose bushes," Ryuzaki ploughed on, wiping sweat with his fingertips, "like in a labyrinth, and there were red buds everywhere. And I kept thinking, let them bloom, they must bloom, they're just…flowers waiting to bloom. But somewhere, someone…" He brought his thumb to his mouth to chew on his nail and grimaced at the salty taste of his own essence. "I kept hearing the noise of a machine, I could feel its vibrations in my very body, and I knew that it was cutting the field down, invading and destroying it, making it a graveyard. The most disturbing thing was that I could hear maniacal laughter in the distance. Then I fell right into a tight hole…" He swallowed hard, panting a bit. "Then I was showered with those cut red buds, a full load of them. They were in my eyes, in my nose, in my mouth, deep down my throat, choking me… I could feel the prick of their thorns, tearing me apart. And I knew then why they were red." He turned suddenly and his eyes met with Light's. "Because of blood. My blood."

Taken by surprise, Light bit back a gasp and forced himself to keep still, uncomfortable at being on the receiving end of such an intense scrutiny.

"And then there were flames," Ryuzaki said thickly, breathing harder, faster. "I was buried deep in that hole, but I knew the land above me was being consumed—I could feel the heat—in a climax of destruction! A graveyard all right, for nothing else would grow, nothing else would _rise_ from the smoldering embers—"

"You ate too much passion-fruit cake, that's all," Light said through gritted teeth, before breaking eye contact and lying down once more. Ryuzaki had the strangest behavior for someone who supposedly was the World's Best Detective. Honestly, nightmares? L was nothing but a grown man acting like a child. Or a coward, a pussy with a fat engorged ego leaking righteousness. Not that he himself hadn't experienced dreams since he was deemed the Worst Serial Killer in Humankind's History by the very freak with whom he was made to share a bed—and everything else for that matter, like a 17-NC rated film gone mad. His dreams were more…exciting, though. Fiery dreams of taking a notebook—The Notebook—and writing down names. Of watching the ones whom he didn't find worthy, who did not conform to his own view of perfection…gone. In his dreams, he was able to deliver death with each quick and forceful stroke of his hand. Then he would caress his pen, smiling at the list of little shits he had managed to send to oblivion.

Yes, that feeling was good. More than good.

It was exhilarating to be a God, after all—even now he felt a jolt of electric pleasure. The world _needed_ him; the world would call out his name and pray for him, and he was ready, oh, yes, so very ready to—

"Light-kun?"

"Damn it, Ryuzaki, I was almost falling asleep again!" Light exploded, shooting the other an evil glare.

"Yes, sorry, but… So far, I have a 74% chance of being killed before this case is solved," Ryuzaki said in a voice now filled with…sadness? Defeat? "If that happens… Light-kun, as my only friend, will you see me to my grave? Promise me?"

"What has possessed you tonight, Ryuzaki? Don't be an ass!"

"Promise me, Light-kun," L pleaded softly.

"Hmm, okay," Light answered in a lazy drawl. "And I will even empty sacks of seed—red rose seeds, of course—right into your—"

"You're not taking me seriously, Light-kun," Ryuzaki growled as he lay down beside Light.

Flooded by a dominant sense of relaxation, Light reached out and turned the lamp off with a slap to its bottom. The room was once more sheathed in darkness, only the afterglow of the good-sized light bulb remaining. "I will do it, Ryuzaki. Okay? I will see you to your grave. I swear to God."


End file.
